The Heart of a Warrior
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: Visions create an uncertain future for everyone. How far will Merlin go to protect Camelot and Arthur? -Direct sequel to Destinies Surround Us.-
1. Darkness of the Night

**The Heart of a Warrior**

By

**Numb3rsfan**

**-Chapter One-**

It was the darkness of the night that gave way to dark ideas and nightmares not only in Camelot but all over the world. It was the darkness of the night that caused people to do and say stupid things and it was the darkness of the night that caused some people to end their own life.

There was a small caravan of people and horses that were crossing King Arthur's land just fifteen miles from Camelot. These people were traders. They traded anything from bows and arrows to pigs and horses and yes…even human slaves. The cart in the back housed the human slaves. The cart was built like a small hut with iron bars and iron chains with restraints fastened to them inside the cart.

There were four occupants inside the cart. Two young boys no more than twelve or thirteen, a young lady who had been found wandering the streets near the Mercian border and the last occupant was another young lady no more than twenty five years old except this lady had an obvious problem; she was pregnant and due any day and while she wasn't showing too much, she could feel it in her bones that it could happen any day.

This young lady was Susanna; a young lady born in the twenty first century who quite by accident was thrust in to the end of the fifth century, to the time of King Arthur. She had been a resident of Camelot for the past two years, as well as a servant to King Arthur. While Merlin was still Arthur's personal man servant, Susanna got the joys of helping the young warlock with whatever task he was doing at the moment.

Things had seemed fine; the relationship between Merlin and Susanna had blossomed and they were almost inseparable. Then King Uther died and that's when things fell apart, not just for Arthur and Camelot but for Merlin and Susanna as well. Merlin's attitude changed from warm and sweet to cold and callous; bordering on pure hatred it seemed.

There was no rhyme or reason for the change and all Susanna had hoped for was that he would snap out of it but Merlin didn't. What had started out as snide comments turned in to physical and verbal abuse and by the month's end Susanna was trying to avoid the young warlock all together.

It was the night of Samhain just before the banquet when Susanna had found out she was pregnant. She had been so excited and was desperate to tell Merlin but when she had seen him drop to the floor in shock, she had decided to wait for a better time. That time never came because Merlin had traveled with Arthur to the Isle of the Blessed to repair the veil. When they had gotten back it was discovered that Lancelot had given up his life to save Arthur's. After that Uthur died and things went downhill from there.

"Are you alright?"

Susanna stretched her neck a little before looking at the other lady in the cart. The lady was a little older than her but her face and hands were careworn and rough.

"Just…tired." Susanna replied, leaning back against the bars.

"I understand. A little one will do that to you." The lady said. "How did you know?" Susanna asked, sitting up a little to ease the pressure in her back.

"I'm a mother myself; a boy and a girl. I can tell." The lady said, smiling a little as she laid a hand on Susanna's stomach. "My name is Susanna." Susanna said, introducing herself.

"Tayia." The lady replied.

"How did you end up here?" Tayia asked. She rearranged herself a little which caused the chains on her arms to clink a little. The driver of the cart heard the noise and glanced back to make sure everyone was still secure.

"Shut up in there or I'll whip the lot of you!" He warned, whipping the horses that were driving the cart.

When the driver turned back around, Susanna scooted as close to Tayia as she could.

"I was kidnapped from my home by Darrit. He told me that someone I knew had sold me in to slavery and that there was nothing I could do about it. I remember Darrit hitting me with that whip his…next thing I know I'm waking up in this wagon." Susanna said.

Tayia glanced up at Darrit, the cart driver for a moment before returning her gaze to Susanna.

"Who do you think it was that sold you?" Tayia asked.

"I don't know…but I have my suspicions." Susanna replied.

Tayia slowly sat up a little, rubbing her sore shoulder for a moment before whispering, "Do you think it was the father of your child?"

Susanna didn't answer right away. She thought of Merlin and wondered if he had indeed sold her in to slavery. If she had been asked that question a year ago she would have said no without question but now…she knew Merlin was capable of it but if he actually did it or not…

"I don't know, there's no way I can find out either. Merlin is safe and sound back in Camelot and I'm here. I doubt he even knows I'm missing." Susanna whispered.

"Don't say that, I'm sure he does." Tayia replied, putting a hand on Susanna's knee.

"You don't know him like I do Tayia. Merlin is different. He used to be…the best person you could wish to meet but now…I don't even know him anymore." Susanna replied.

Suddenly the wagon came to a stop. Everyone inside the cage sat up and looked towards the iron door as Darrit opened it and climbed in.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT KEEPING QUIET?" He roared, whip in hand. Angrily he brought down the whip on everyone and soon everyone was covered in red welts; some of them had even cut in to the skin which was now bleeding.

A lone horse rode up along side the wagon and the rider of the horse said, "Come now Darrit. We cannot have our prizes looking abused. They will be worth far less if they cannot work."

Darrit said and nodded his head. "Yes Jenson." Turning he went back out and secured the iron door behind him. Moments later he got the wagon moving again while everyone inside began to nurse their wounds.

As they passed by Camelot, it was the shadow of the city that made Susanna look up and study it. Slowly her eyes filled with tears as she imagined the life she once had.

Bowing her head she sat back down, drew her knees up and buried her face in between them even as Tayia scooted over and wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders.


	2. Drunken Revelations

**-Chapter Two-**

Merlin plopped down on the small chair that was in front of the table. Reaching over he grabbed a handful of bright red strawberries, some blueberries and a few black berries. Smoothly he placed them on his plate before Gaius approached him with a bowl of warm porridge.

"How are you feeling today?" Gaius asked, sitting down at the table across from Merlin. Merlin shrugged as he dug in to the porridge. Normally he didn't really like it all that much but that morning he was famished. The way he was scarfing it down Gaius believed that the young man would eat anything!

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Merlin took the glass of milk that was beside his plate and drunk half of the glass in one gulp.

"I feel tired and sore…mostly hungry though." Merlin said once he swallowed the milk.

Gaius chuckled. "Yes, I can see that." He replied.

"George had me up half the night last night polishing Arthur's armor. I had his armor so shiny and clean that you could eat off it but it wasn't enough to suit George. Oh no! He had me polishing that for six hours straight. I thought I was going to rub my hands off." Merlin said.

Gaius chuckled again. Yesterday Merlin had returned to Camelot. He had gone to Morgana's hovel and killed the Fomorroh that she had implanted in his neck. Once Merlin had returned, Gaius removed the dead snake head and placed it in a jar. Then Merlin had to go see to Arthur and that's where the fun with George had begun.

"And I have six more days of his odious chatter!" Merlin said.

Gaius chuckled once more before he got serious. Putting down his spoon Gaius sat back in his chair and looking knowingly at Merlin.

After a moment Merlin looked up, the spoon dripping with porridge half way to his mouth.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"I was wondering if you have seen Susanna. No one has seen her in several days." Gaius said.

Putting down his own spoon, Merlin sat back in his own chair and looked away from Gaius. Finally he said, "I haven't seen her and I don't want to see her either."

The tone in his voice startled Gaius, causing him to raise his eyebrow.

"Has something happened between you two? You both seemed really close." He said.

"We were. Then I started having these dreams…she was in them. Each and every one of them. She was with a band of people in black cloaks. I don't know who they were but they attacked Camelot with a ferocity that I have never seen before. The city fell and…she killed Arthur right before my eyes before she turned and killed me herself. Then…I saw her bow to Morgana as she came and took her place as Queen of Camelot." Merlin replied.

Gaius was silent for a moment, not really knowing what to say. From the way Merlin had described it, it was some sort of vision that he had seen; perhaps even a vision of things to come.

"You know Susanna would never betray Camelot." Gaius finally said.

Merlin didn't answer, instead he wrapped his arms around himself and stared at the floor.

Gaius sighed, watching the boy pout.

"Merlin she loves you. Nothing is ever going to change that. If she is forced to fight against Camelot then there must be a good reason for it."

At that Merlin looked back up at Gaius. "If she tries to destroy Arthur, I'm going to kill her." He vowed.

"If the times comes, don't do anything rash." Gaius said. He knew Merlin couldn't kill anyone, especially Susanna, even if he was angry with her.

Merlin scoffed and rose to his feet. The person that he had loved was going to betray him and turn her back against him and Camelot and Gaius doesn't want him to do anything rash?

Going to the door that would lead out in to the corridor, Merlin was about to open it and leave when Gaius said, "She's pregnant."

That simple sentence made Merlin stop, his hand resting lightly on the wooden handle.

"Did you know that?" Gaius asked.

"How do you know?" Merlin asked, the tone in his voice telling Gaius that he was slightly angry.

"I examined her and I have been watching her progress. Merlin she wanted to tell you but she could never find the time." Gaius said.

Merlin stood where he was breathing hard as he fought to keep back the tears that came with the revelation. He was going to be a father. The woman who would bring about the fall of Camelot would be the mother. If she was pregnant how could he kill her? He would be killing the unborn child who had done no wrong.

Chest heaving, Merlin's eyes teared up as he shook his head. Opening the door he ran out of it even after Gaius had called out to him to stop.

_MERLINMERLINMERLIN_

Merlin didn't know what to do or say. He was completely overwhelmed by what Gaius had told him. Could he really have been that blind and not noticed that…? No…no it was impossible and yet… swallowing his fear Merlin went in search of the one person who could clear up the rumor but no matter where he searched he simply could not find Susanna.

He searched for the remainder of the day both in the castle and in the lower town but he discovered nothing. It was as if she had completely disappeared. Finally he had no choice but to return to the castle. He was silent as he fetched Arthur's dinner and climbed up the stone steps to deliver the plate crammed full of food to the King.

Rapping on the door to Arthur's chambers Merlin waited a moment before he opened the door and walked in to the room.

Arthur was standing by the window, hands clasped behind his back. He was wearing a dark jacket, dark pants and dark boots.

Glancing at the person who had walked in to his room, Arthur's face lit up when he saw Merlin with his dinner.

"I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten me entirely." Arthur joked as he went to the table.

"Sorry, I was…distracted." Merlin replied, placing the plate down on the table right beside the utensils that were already there.

"So I noticed. That girlfriend of yours seems to keep you distracted most days." Arthur replied, sitting down at the table.

Merlin stiffened a little but proceeded to pour a glass of wine for Arthur as the king grabbed his cloth napkin and draped it over his lap.

"My girlfriend…" Merlin muttered, "Susanna's not my girlfriend."

"What else would you call her? From what I've noticed you spend every waking moment with her, or at least you try to. Every day I half expect you to man up and propose to her." Arthur remarked.

At that Merlin paled and dropped the pitcher he had been holding. Thankfully it was empty or it would have made a huge mess.

"What?" Arthur asked, chewing on a piece of meat, "was it something I said?"

Merlin looked away from his friend. Was he that obvious? Did everyone know and understand his feelings for her?

"Yes well…we're not together anymore." Merlin mumbled.

Arthur swallowed what was in his mouth before glancing at his servant once more. "Oh really? What happened?" he asked.

"I…" Merlin paused. He took a step back, shook his head and then walked forward, placing the empty pitcher on the king's table before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Oookkaayyy…." Arthur said, watching the door close.

_MERLINMERLINMERLIN_

Merlin went outside and sat down on the stone steps. He took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. It had been a long day, that's all it was; a long day. A new day would bring something different, it always did. But, whether it would bring something good or bad still remained to be seen.

"Merlin?"

Merlin jumped a little when out of the darkness walked a figure. As the figure got closer Merlin realized it was only Gwaine coming in from the tavern. The smell of the alcohol was strong and to Merlin it was a little surprising that he didn't have any wet stains on his red cloak.

"What're you doing out here all by yourself?" Gwaine asked. It was clear that he was drunk, but even so Merlin paid him little mind.

"Just enjoying the breeze." Merlin replied.

Gwaine chuckled as he started to climb the stone steps but after stepping on the fourth step be stumbled and fell back against Merlin.

At that Merlin chuckled a little. "You are drunk!" he said.

Gwaine looked at him quizzically. "No I'm not…!" he slurred.

Sighing, Merlin stood up and wrapped Gwaine's arm around his shoulder, supporting the larger man.

"Yes you are. Come on, I'm taking you to see Gaius." Merlin said.

Gwaine chuckled a little as he continued to stumble despite Merlin's help.

"I bet you are missing that girlfriend of yours…" he slurred out, chuckling once more.

"What would you know about it?" Merlin murmured under his breath as he more or less dragged Gwaine up the stairs.

"I saw her, she was in the arms of someone who looked like he could beat up Percival." Gwaine slurred.

At that Merlin stopped and let go of Gwaine who stumbled and fell down the flight of stone steps. When he reached the bottom he was sound asleep, snoring softly.

Turning, Merlin rushed up the stairs and in to the castle. He had decided things had gone on long enough. It was time to tell Arthur; he was just a little unsure as to what he would tell the king. Even as Merlin climbed the stairs to Arthur's chambers, left alone and forgotten on the ground outside slept Gwaine who was snoring away contentedly.


	3. A Plan Unfolds

**-Chapter Three-**

The cart reached it's destination in the dead of night. Darrit jumped off of the cart, opened up the metal door and none too gently forced the occupants out of the cart. Each of the four occupants wore chains on their wrists and ankles and it was these that dragged along the ground noisily as they were forced inside the building.

At first none of them knew where they were. All they could see were lit torches along the wall which cast dark shadows everywhere. Within minutes though they were led in to a larger chamber. The chamber was circular in design with pillars that went all the way around. In the center of the chamber was a small above ground fireplace with a steaming cauldron sitting on top of the hot coals. A little ways beyond that there were two stone thrones with green backing. One throne was empty but in the other one sat a middle aged woman. The woman was wearing a dark green dress with a black, fluffy collar surrounding the dress, and on her head was a golden crown.

"Is this all that you have brought me then?" The woman asked.

Darrit who stood behind the slaves, bowed his head and replied, "Yes my Queen Annis."

Queen Annis! Even though she kept her face blank, Susanna knew exactly who this lady was. She had tried to take Camelot under Morgana's guidance. Thankfully Arthur had won the battle and Morgana had retreated but Susanna had always thought that there was still some tension between Camelot and Queen Annis since Arthur killed her husband.

Sighing, Queen Annis stood up and stepped towards the four slaves. She passed the children without giving them a second look, but she stopped when she came to Susanna and Tayia.

"These two are young and strong," Darrit began when he saw that the Queen might be interested, but before he could continue, Queen Annis raised her hand to silence him.

"I have no need for two more slaves." She said.

She turned and was fixing to return to her throne when out from behind a pillar walked a figure wearing a dark hood. The figure slowly approached the Queen before he slowly removed his hood. The figure wearing the cloak was a young man no older than twenty seven. He had dark hair, dark eyes and several scars on his face. Slowly the man looked from the Queen to the line of slaves before finding the one he was looking for.

"I will take her." He said, clearly enunciating his words as he pointed a black gloved finger as Susanna.

Darrit looked confused at the stranger's choice. "Surely the other one will suit you better. This one is in poor condition plus she's carrying a kid…" Darrit said.

The stranger rolled his eyes before fixing Darrit with a glare. Suddenly the stranger's eyes glowed. What happened next was simple. Darrit flew back, smacking against the far wall with a sickening thwack.

Even without examining the man everyone knew he was dead. Shaking with fright, all of the slaves looked at one another, suddenly unsure of their fate.

The stranger placed his hood back over his face before he raised his hand. Underneath his hood his eyes glowed for a moment before the chain that connected Susanna to the others was severed. While she still had the chains on her wrists and ankles, she was no longer connected to the three others.

Methodically the stranger walked forward and took the length of Susanna's chain in his hands and with only a thought he caused the chains to break apart and fall to the stone floor.

"Now…I set you free but I did not release you. If you run you die. If you do as you are told when you are told you will live. Is that understood?" The man asked. Quickly Susanna nodded her head, too tired to fight with her new master.

"Then come…" the stranger said, heading out of the Queen's chambers.

As he was leaving, Queen Annis called out to him. "What do you want done with the others?"

The stranger turned back to face her; a smirk on his face. "Kill them," he replied before he continued on his way with Susanna trailing behind.

_MERLINMERLINMERLIN_

Susanna grasped her stomach in pain as she was marched outside. It was still dark outside but just up ahead was a small convoy of twelve people; ten on horseback and two sitting in a cart. This cart however didn't have a cage, instead it had a plain wooden bed covered in straw.

"In the cart." The man said, grabbing her arm and none too gently helping her in to said cart. Sitting down in the bottom of the cart as best she could, Susanna grimaced a little when the baby inside her kicked again.

The man who had purchased her climbed in after her and took his place near the edge of the cart. After some unseen signal the entire convoy slowly left the citadel that was Queen Annis's kingdom.

When they had been on the move for five minutes, Susanna decided to take the chance and ask, "What do you want with me?" She shied away after she asked it, cowering in fear as if she expected to be hit. This wasn't far from the truth because in the past she had been hit for speaking out of turn; especially when Darrit had been standing behind her.

The man who had purchased her looked at her for a moment before he said, "We know what you are and we know what you are capable of becoming. Too many times have people of our kind been murdered for using magic and too long have we sat in the shadows doing nothing but let it happen. No more. Each of us took a vow to protect those with magic from those who would seek to destroy us. When we discovered you, we all knew we had to rescue you from the likes of Darrit. You weren't the first sorceress he had captured but now you were the last."

"But…I'm not a sorceress; I hardly even know magic except for a few simple spells." Susanna whispered.

"Yes but you can learn. That's another reason why we rescued you, to help you become what we all know you are capable of becoming." The man paused for a moment before continuing on, "I'm sorry if I was rough on you back there, I had to make your purchase believable. My name is Kilan and these are my band of friends." Kilan said.

"So…I can leave?" Susanna whispered hardly daring to believe it was true.

"If that is what you wish but where would you go? We can spare no horses and you certainly are in no condition to walk too far." Kilan replied.

Susanna thought about that and realized the man was right. She was in a bit of a predicament. She could leave but where would she go and how would she get there? Her immediate thought was that she should return to Camelot but what then and what for? Should she return just to suffer more abuse? She was out and honestly these people right here had saved her and they were certainly nicer than Merlin had been in awhile.

"We'll take you to our hideout. There you can rest. In the morning you can decide what you wish to do. If you wish to leave we'll take you to the nearest village, from there you can get passage to anyplace you want to go." Kilan said.

Susanna nodded her head in thanks, whispering, "Thank you."

As Kilan watched Susanna try and get comfortable, a sly smile crossed his face. It was as Morgana had said. Be nice and the girl would be eating out of his hand more or less. He had baited the hook and now all he had to do was reel his catch in. He could tell that Susanna had been interested in the prospect of learning more magic, now all he had to do was keep that interest sparked, but knowing him that wasn't going to be too hard.

Sitting back against the side of the cart Kilan envisioned the fall of Camelot. Morgana had promised him a share in the spoils if he managed to keep his end of the bargain which was to convert and train Susanna to the ways of the Old Religion before they would attack the castle.

It was going to be so perfect. King Arthur would never know what hit him. That thought caused Kilan to chuckle softly. It was going to be a glorious day when Camelot finally bowed to Morgana, it's rightful Queen.


	4. Decisions Decisions

**-Chapter Four-**

King Arthur slowly paced around his room, his right hand resting on his chin and mouth as he pondered this new found predicament. Merlin had come barging in not five minutes ago and out of everything in the young man's limited vocabulary, the one thing that Arthur hadn't been expecting him to say, he said.

Someone had come in the dead of night and kidnapped a resident of Camelot. The accusation was a serious one but even so Arthur didn't know what to make of it. The missing person was the same person that Merlin more or less said he didn't care for anymore. There was no solid evidence to back up the story and the only witness was one who was drunk half of the time; when he wasn't on duty of course.

"We'll search the castle and lower town at first light. If she cannot be found we'll branch out in to the neighboring towns." Arthur finally said.

He heard Merlin sigh and so he quickly glanced over to him. From the look on the man servant's face, Arthur wasn't sure if the sigh was one of relief, happiness or depression.

"Thank you sire." Merlin said, bowing his head a little to offer some respect towards his friend.

"Answer me something, Merlin. Why now? Why is she so important to you now when an hour ago you couldn't stand to be in the same room with her." Arthur asked.

"I know I did the wrong thing. I know I hurt her and misjudged her. I let my fears take hold and…I lashed out. It was wrong and I think it's because of me that she was an easy target for whomever took her." Merlin said.

A curious answer but Arthur accepted it none the less. He could tell by the small quiver in Merlin's voice that the younger man was clearly upset by everything, so Arthur decided not to push things.

"We'll find her, Merlin." Arthur said, putting a hand on the young warlock's right shoulder.

Merlin bit his lip and nodded his head though he couldn't look Arthur in the face. There was more to it than what he had said. Sure he was worried about her safety but there were more things to consider as well. For one, the child she was carrying. If something were to happen to her then the child would be affected if not killed. Another thing was her magic; not many people understood let alone liked sorcerers, witches and warlocks. She would be in danger if someone found out she had it.

"Now while you are here you can wash my floor, mend my left boot you know that mouse chewed another hole in it last night? Also my ceremonial sword still needs to be repaired." Arthur said, snapping back in to 'King' mode.

"Do it yourself." Merlin muttered under his breath as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Even though Arthur caught what his man servant had said he replied, "What was that?"

"Nothing nothing. I'll get to it right away sire." Merlin replied as he turned around to leave the room.

He stopped when he heard Arthur clear his throat. Glancing back quizzically, Merlin watched Arthur point to something that was beside his cupboard. Looking in that direction Merlin saw the ol' bucket and rag that he had used a few days ago. Had he really forgotten to remove it once he had finished?

Sighing, Merlin went over and grabbed the bucket and rag while Arthur nodded his head and smiled.

"And don't forget to actually use the rag this time." He said playfully.

Since Merlin had walked past the King, Arthur didn't see Merlin roll his eyes at the comment, but he did hear him say "Yes Sire," before leaving the room.

Once Merlin had gone Arthur flopped down on his bed and had a good laugh.

_MERLINMERLINMERLIN_

The sun slowly rose up over the valley and along with the rising of the sun, the bandits also rose up and went about their daily routine of gathering firewood, patrolling the area and hunting for breakfast. It being early in the day, Kilan had ridden off and reported in to Morgana. The sorceress didn't have much to say on the matter at hand other than what she had said before; do everything he could to persuade the girl to join with them against Camelot and when the time was right bring the girl to the hovel so they could plan the assault.

When Kilan had returned to his group he found Susanna already awake, sitting on the ground just inside the cave the group called home.

"It's a glorious morning!" Kilan said, a smile on his face as he grabbed the water jug and poured a glass of the cool refreshing beverage.

"Is it?" Susanna mumbled, not really looking up at him. She was sitting with her knees drawn up and elbows on top of them. It wasn't all that comfortable for her but she made do with it.

"I told you that you could leave at any time." Kilan said, walking over to her and offering her the jug of water.

Shaking her head, Susanna gingerly stood up, brushing the dirt off of her tattered clothing.

"I know that but…I have nowhere to go. I had a home once…for a little while but now…" slowly Susanna raised her eyes to look at Kilan, "everything's changed. I have nothing now…I _am _nothing now."

"Don't say that. It isn't true. You have all of us. You can depend on us to never leave you, to fight with you if the time comes and to be there for you when you need us. I know how scary it is to be in your position; having no place to call your own and having to be careful to not let your secret slip. With us you don't have to worry about that. We can teach you everything that you need to know. All we ask in return is that you stay with us." Kilan said.

"Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay a little while longer." Susanna said, thinking about Kilan's offer for a moment.

Kilan smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be alone again." He said.

Susanna gave him a half smile before following after him as he went to get some breakfast.

_MERLINMERLINMERLIN_

When the sun had risen, Arthur had done what he had promised and sent a few knights down to the lower town to search for the girl, while Merlin, Gwaine and Gwen searched the castle.

At mid day they all met up in the throne room to announce their findings: they had found nothing.

Arthur then gave the go ahead for the knights to search for the surrounding villages but after that they were to report back to the castle. Arthur wasn't going to have them go out of their way to search because of the fact that they had no real leads. They had no idea when she was taken or what direction she was taken in. The reality of the situation was that she was gone, maybe even dead and the odds of them finding her were slim to none.

To keep his mind off of everything, Merlin set to work doing whatever chores he could. At 2 o'clock he was down in the depths of the castle washing Arthur's clothes. He had already finished most of them, all he had left was one of Arthur's white shirts which had a small stain on it.

After a quick glance around Merlin said the magic words and the stain suddenly vanished. Smiling a little, Merlin nodded his head and took a step back so he could dunk the still dirty shirt in the soapy water. Even as he stepped back his foot hit a small puddle. His right foot immediately went out from under him causing the young warlock to fall on his back. The dirty shirt went up in the air at the same time as Merlin's left foot caught the bucket full of soapy water, sending it up in the air as well.

Merlin was so stunned that he didn't even try to stop the bucket, which came down splashing soapy water all over his face. Seconds later the shirt landed on his head completely covering his face.

At first he didn't move, not believing that that had just happened to him, but a quick chuckle in the darkness caused Merlin to quickly remove the shirt from his head.

"Trying a new look Merlin? I have to say it does suit you."

Merlin saw that it was Gwaine who had spoken. Gwaine was dressed in his chain mail and had his sword with him.

"I slipped." Merlin replied, climbing back to his feet. He could already feel that his butt was soaked in the water as was his blue shirt and red scarf and above all his hair. He could feel water droplets running down his face as well.

"Uh huh…sure you did." Gwaine said with a knowing smile.

Sighing, Merlin decided to change the subject by asking, "What did you find?"

At that Gwaine got serious. "Nothing. We checked all of the villages, no one saw anything, over half of them didn't even know who Susanna was." Gwaine paused for a moment before saying, "Arthur's going to call off the search, you know. We have no leads to go on, nothing to follow up. She's just gone Merlin. You are going to have to accept that and move on."

Merlin was silent knowing that for once Gwaine was right. They had nothing to go on, there was nothing more that could be done. Course that didn't make the knowledge that he just had to forget her any more bearable.

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Merlin asked in a semi joking manner, gathering up the wet clothes.

"Hey, I can be serious when I want to be." Gwaine said, holding out his arms beside him for a moment.

Merlin chuckled a little before he started to head back upstairs, the wet bundle of clothes in his arms. He didn't want to talk about the situation anymore and he just hoped that no one would bring it up again, but knowing Arthur and the other knights as he did, Merlin knew that it was too much to hope that he wouldn't have to suffer this heartache again.


	5. Training

**-Chapter Five-**

Agravaine stood before Morgana who sat in one of her wooden chairs. They were in her hovel, a small, dirty place that looked as if it could have been made by beavers. He had just given her a report on the recent week's event's, including their search for the missing girl. Agravaine had watched that sly smile grace Morgana's pale face. He loved to see it because it reminded him of the girl she had once been.

"And no one in Camelot even suspects that you were the one to pay that slave trader to take her away?" Morgana asked.

"No, my Lady. There were no witnesses to that event except for Gwaine, but he was drunk at the time. I doubt he even knows what he saw." Agravaine replied.

Rising from her chair, Morgana started to pace around her hovel. Everything was falling in to place. Susanna wouldn't be able to resist Kilan's charms; she would convert and if they all played their cards right they would be able to convince her to attack Camelot with them. Two sorceresses were more powerful than just one and with Susanna and Morgana working as a team, surely they would be enough to take on anyone, including Emrys. That was why Morgana wanted Susanna in the first place. Morgana had fought against Emrys before and she had almost been killed. He was powerful that much was clear, and the Cailleach had warned her that he would be her destiny and her doom. That knowledge had caused her many sleepless nights ever since the Veil had been torn.

"Things go well then?" Agravaine asked. He had absolutely no idea how things were fairing on the other front. He hoped they were right on schedule but only Morgana would know that for sure.

"Things are going perfectly. Within a month we should be ready to attack." Morgana said.

All they had to do was keep Camelot in the dark until the last minute. She wanted to be present to see the look on both Arthur and Merlin's faces when they realize who had finally brought their beloved Camelot to its knees and if everything went according to plan she would be!

_MERLINMERLINMERLIN_

Susanna poured over the book of spells that Kilan had provided her with. On each page there was a spell, the words to conjure it as well as what the spell was supposed to do. Kilan had told her that when it came to conjuring the spell that she had to say it with feeling and with meaning; and also pronouncing it right was a must. The book was really interesting and all of the spells that she had tried so far she had been able to do with relative ease.

Of course all of the spells she had tried so far had been easy ones like lifting small items, to causing a small fireball to lift from her hand. She had been training with Kilan and his men for over three weeks now and every day she felt herself growing stronger. Kilan was right; her previous teacher had done nothing but hold her back. It was clear to see that now and that knowledge upset her greatly.

It was hard to believe that all Merlin had been trying to do was hold her back, keep her weak in her knowledge of magic while he got all of the 'glory' so to speak. Not any more! No, she had decided that she would return to Camelot and show the young warlock exactly what she could do…when she was ready that is.

"You are doing well."

Susanna looked up as Kilan entered the cave. Kilan was still wearing his black cloak and in his arms he had what looked to be a brand new black cloak.

"Try it on." He offered, handing the cloak to her. The material was soft to the touch; soft yet warm. Unfolding the cloak Susanna slipped in to it. The sleeves themselves were long, going to just past her hands. When she put the hood over her face, it completely engulfed her head. No one would be able to see who was in the cloak which was just how she wanted it.

"Thank you." Susanna said, lowering the hood and reclaiming her seat. Her seat was nothing more than a large, smooth boulder but it worked! "I never knew conjuring spells could be this easy." She said, turning the page on the book.

"Sometimes it is, but sometimes in the heat of battle your mind can go blank and then no amount of knowledge is going to help you; only your skill with a blade can help you then." Kilan said.

"Everyone back in Camelot was better at swordplay than I was…even Merlin." Susanna muttered. Arthur had taught Merlin how to use a sword and even Gwen knew how to fight with a sword, which is one thing that did anger Susanna greatly. Everyone knew how to defend themselves with a weapon and she was left out in the dark.

"Come on, practice." Kilan said, gesturing that Susanna should follow him outside. Sighing she rose up from her seat and followed him outside in to the misty rain. Picking up a sword Kilan tossed it to her. It was easy enough to grab out of the air and once she had grabbed it she flipped it a few times before getting in to a fighting stance.

"You need to learn to think on your feet; to do the unexpected. Only then can you hope to gain the upper hand." Kilan said.

"Unexpected…" Susanna murmured. Spying a piece of rope that was behind Kilan, Susanna concentrated, saying a spell in her mind.

All of a sudden the rope coiled like a snake and rose up in the air. Slowly it floated up behind Kilan before the 'head' of the rope struck him in the neck Kilan jumped and whirled around but even as he did so Susanna said another spell in her mind which jerked his sword out of his hands. Kilan's sword flew up in the air only to be caught by Susanna moment's later.

"Like that?" Susanna asked, getting in to another fighting stance with both swords in her hands. Kilan chuckled when he saw the rope suddenly drop to the ground.

"That was very good." He said.

All of a sudden two metal pots were flying in the air towards Susanna. Almost immediately Susanna ducked and flipped forward before reaching behind her to knock the pots to the ground.

"You are going to have to do better than that!" Susanna taunted, twirling her sword in her left hand.

Kilan smirked before sending a large tree trunk at her. At the last second Susanna ducked and ran forward, running under the trunk before it hit the ground.

Even as it hit the ground Susanna murmured a spell and seconds later the trunk burst in to flames.

Kilan folded his arms, watching Susanna work. He was gauging her effectiveness and her attitude towards the situation. Her powers were growing he was just not sure she was emotionally ready to take on Camelot. It wouldn't do to have her falter at the first sight of Arthur or his manservant.

"I told you what you were capable of becoming." Kilan said. Stepping away from the burning trunk, Susanna walked over to the man and handed him back his sword.

"I never wanted to believe but…you were right. He was just holding me back." Susanna said.

Kilan knew the 'he' she was referring to; her former teacher. While she had never provided a name, Kilan had seen the emotion in her eyes when she had talked about him.

"You need to show him that you are strong now, that you can do anything." Kilan said.

"But how?" Susanna asked.

"I think you know what has to be done." Kilan replied.

"Camelot is an impregnable fortress; not easy to get in to let alone out of." Susanna said.

"True enough but wouldn't it prove to your teacher what you can achieve if you could get in and out undetected; perhaps even participate in a mock attack of the city? You could show your teacher how powerful you have become if you could actually take over the city." Kilan said.

"One person taking over the city of Camelot…yeah that's impossible. It could never be done." Susanna said.

"I am not talking about one person. I am talking about an army. If I could provide you with an army as well as some extra help would you even dare to attack the all mighty Camelot? Think of what a victory it would be to bring the city to its knees! All magic folk would then be free; you would be free to live out your life the way you see fit without being scared of being found out!" Kilan said.

Susanna thought about what he said. He did have some very good points but attacking Camelot? She supposed it all came down to how she felt about its people. She had loved that city; Arthur, Merlin and the rest but…Merlin had changed her views on that. So…why was she still hesitant to attack the city?

"Okay…let's do it." Susanna said after a moment. "I've been avoiding Camelot for too long; it's time to stop running and face my fear. Camelot needs to be burned to the ground."

Kilan smiled. "I think I know someone who can help with that. Follow me." He said, leading Susanna towards the horses. Curiously Susanna followed after him having no idea that he was going to take her to Morgana.


End file.
